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QuarkJets posted:Oh boy, there are two dime-sized soft spots in the ceiling of my bathroom. I assume that this is what water damage looks like Since that corner of the bathroom is next to the garage, I thought it'd be worth making some measurements to see how likely it is that the spot is reachable from the attic above the garage. No dice though; the spot appears to be under a bedroom. Based on the geometry, I think that the leaking segment probably comes from the water heater, across that portion of the ceiling, then bends behind the mirror to create the sink fixture. Going to call a plumber
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Sep 27, 2017 22:52
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QuarkJets posted:Since that corner of the bathroom is next to the garage, I thought it'd be worth making some measurements to see how likely it is that the spot is reachable from the attic above the garage. No dice though; the spot appears to be under a bedroom. Based on the geometry, I think that the leaking segment probably comes from the water heater, across that portion of the ceiling, then bends behind the mirror to create the sink fixture. It's weird that it's that one spot. My guess is that you've got a tiny leak up the pipe somewhere and there is a bend in the pipe right there that the water rides down and then accumulates into drips.
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Sep 29, 2017 19:58
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Hubis posted:It's weird that it's that one spot. My guess is that you've got a tiny leak up the pipe somewhere and there is a bend in the pipe right there that the water rides down and then accumulates into drips. Ding ding ding, got a plumber here this morning who sawed into the ceiling and immediately found that the upstairs drain pipe turns toward the front yard right at the little wet spot. PVC has been reglued, which hopefully addresses the problem for the next decade or whatever
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Sep 29, 2017 23:09
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We are under contract and, barring inspection turning up anything horrible, will be first-time homeowners in about five weeks. We're buying an old Colonial that was built in 1897, so I fully expect a laundry list of poo poo to go wrong. But, based on my ignorant observations, it seems like it's been really well maintained, with a pretty new water heater, central air installed, and the attic turned into a nice living space with easy access to the HVAC system. The basement is unfinished but seems dry. The furnace is very old looking so I'm already planning on budgeting for an upgrade, but hopefully it will last one more year (heh). The back porch also clearly needs to be redone but that can wait. Does anyone have a default checklist of things to buy off the bat? I'm planning on picking up a solid drill set, a ladder, and a couple other odds and ends, but I'm sure there are things that will come in handy that I haven't even thought about.
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Sep 30, 2017 15:33
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z0331 posted:Does anyone have a default checklist of things to buy off the bat? I'm planning on picking up a solid drill set, a ladder, and a couple other odds and ends, but I'm sure there are things that will come in handy that I haven't even thought about. Safety glasses, dust masks, respirator if you are doing big nasty jobs or have asthma. For the masks just get the big box of 3m ones. The number of times I have just handed one to a contractor is startling and it's nice to have an unlimited supply. Unless you are big on diy don't go overboard on the drill set. A 7v Dewalt with a hex shank and second battery has done everything we've asked of it. Buy one large flathead screwdriver. You will almost never use it for screwing but it's a drat good lever. Channel locks and Teflon tape make diy shower head and toilet repair a breeze. Vice grips make tearing bullshit out of the wall easy. Hanging art? Buy a good level and tracing paper. Trace the back of your art noting edges and hooks. Tape it to the wall, level it, drill straight through it. In the end, just accept that you will be making 4 trips a day to home depot until you have a baseline set of tools and supplies. After that you only make 1 trip where you realize you already own what you bought or 2 trips for things you forgot. Harbor freight is great for throw away tools but you get what you pay for. I wouldnt buy safety glasses there. Painting? High quality brushes (like $10/each from Wooster), poo poo brushes ($1/10), nice roller handle, roller pan, and a dozen 99¢ liners. Wet rags work faster than painters tape at edging. Edit: 100 pack of razor blades and a razor handle. Never use a dull blade again. H110Hawk fucked around with this message at 16:43 on Sep 30, 2017 |
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Sep 30, 2017 16:38
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HF's respirators are legit. They sell them as disposable, but o'reilly auto parts will special order you a box of replacement filters for $12 (the brand is apparently really popular in the auto body community) Most of the rest of the stuff they sell is pretty trash though, but $200 will get you a trunk load of tools to get started.
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Sep 30, 2017 18:07
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I have bought a bunch of HF stuff and it seems fine for simple things like hammers, rasps, spammers. I would probably spring for a better grade for anything with a motor though. Their throatless shear was surprisingly good.
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Sep 30, 2017 18:24
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Their impact sockets are fine and work really well and have not failed me. Also perfectly functional jack stands and floor jack. Granted this is car stuff rather than home stuff, but yeah, HF products are cheaply made overseas, but in some cases that's fine.
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Sep 30, 2017 18:32
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Don't let my get what you pay for line scare you away from harbor fright. Buy hand tools there but expect them to be the same cheese grade chinesium as your ikea fasteners. Great for a metric + imperial he wrench set, that big flat head, and free magnetic trays and led flashlights. (no need to overpay for a big beefy one, the pocket sized 8 led free one is great.) sign up for their mailer for unlimited 20% off coupons.
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Sep 30, 2017 19:04
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Have a lawn? Get a lawn mower. Corded electric is cheap and has a lot of advantages, or get gas if your lawn is enormous. Got trees? Get a rake Other than that I don't think it's necessary to buy most things until you actually need them; you don't need paint or paint brushes until you actually need to paint something
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Oct 1, 2017 01:08
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minivanmegafun posted:HF's respirators are legit. They sell them as disposable, but o'reilly auto parts will special order you a box of replacement filters for $12 (the brand is apparently really popular in the auto body community) z0331 posted:Does anyone have a default checklist of things to buy off the bat? I'm planning on picking up a solid drill set, a ladder, and a couple other odds and ends, but I'm sure there are things that will come in handy that I haven't even thought about. If you can afford it, an 18v lithium ion battery tool set (especially makita or milwaukee) is tits, you'll likely never need to buy corded tools again. A circular saw is great. Buy a Bucket Boss to stash all your tools and parts for the project at hand in. Buy the Black and Decker Complete Guide to Home Wiring to understand how your electrical works, since you'll likely need to mess with it at some point with a house that old. Popular Mechanics has a very good book about home repair too, "Complete Home How To" that I'd very highly recommend. If you can wait, there'll probably be some great Thanksgiving/holiday tool sales you can snatch up some tools in. If you're buying a ladder, get a multiposition ladder, they're freaking tits. Harbor Freight is great for a lot of stuff, and their tools are largely not that bad, they've definitely gotten better in recent memory. I'd still never but their ladder though, because ladders are dangerous as gently caress as is, but 90% of the rest of the store? Absolutely. Oohhh... Treat yourself and get a set of Wera laser etched tip screwdrivers. That poo poo is freaking legit, and works amazingly well, especially for something I originally thought was bs marketing hope. You owe it to yourself to get nice tools for poo poo you'll use all the time. Get a good Stanley tape measure. It'll pay dividends. You'll acquire plenty of poo poo over time, but that stuff in particular especially pays dividends to buy upfront, especially the books. E: Get a good headlamp, such as a rechargeable Fenix or Black Diamond Storm or something. Catatron Prime fucked around with this message at 03:28 on Oct 1, 2017 |
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Oct 1, 2017 03:25
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Oh, poo poo, yeah, forgot about the HF multifunction ladder. It's built by Vulcan and also really good. Heavy as poo poo but I'd trust it for anything.
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Oct 1, 2017 03:38
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QuarkJets posted:Have a lawn? Get a lawn mower. Corded electric is cheap and has a lot of advantages, or get gas if your lawn is enormous. gently caress rakes get a leaf blower.
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Oct 1, 2017 04:20
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Lawnmower talk - small lawn, front and back (back is fenced, has a deck, large kids play toy, and a small sidewalk — front is flat with mild slope at edge to street- about 3-4' high, one small tree). Good grass quality from walking all over it barefoot. Gas, electric? I haven't mown a lawn since 2002, and that was a 10 acre riding mower deal.
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Oct 1, 2017 14:27
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HEY NONG MAN posted:gently caress rakes get a leaf blower. We just mow the lawn after the leaves fall and let it stay as mulch over the winter. Once the snow melts the leaves have decomposed. Don't know if this works in every climate. We have a ton of trees in the back so it's way easier than raking or blowing.
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Oct 1, 2017 14:53
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Anya posted:Lawnmower talk - small lawn, front and back (back is fenced, has a deck, large kids play toy, and a small sidewalk — front is flat with mild slope at edge to street- about 3-4' high, one small tree). Good grass quality from walking all over it barefoot. Gas, electric? I haven't mown a lawn since 2002, and that was a 10 acre riding mower deal. Electric. They aren't as bad as they sound. Battery vs corded is entirely based on the actual size and placement of outlets. If you can reach your whole yard with 2-3 outlet changes I would go corded.
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Oct 1, 2017 16:36
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Multi-position ladders, like the Little Giant or whatever, are horrendous in my opinion. I'd rather have the 2-3 ladders it replaces in fiberglass than a heavy rear end clunky ladder that doesn't really do any position well. Personal preference of course, but I've never actually met someone in person who really liked them. We had one at my old job and everyone universally loathed the thing. Maybe they've gotten better? And of course, for the lawn mower question, we don't need another round of Electric vs. Gas, but if you have a lawn in the...say, 1/5-1/4 range, I'm still in the gas camp. A 22" mulching mower is super simple to maintain and not having to mess with a cord is well worth it. Goons seem to love the battery powered stuff, but I don't think they're there yet, cost or power wise, for anything but relatively small lawns. Now, weed wackers, blowers, trimmers etc. Yes, go battery powered there.
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Oct 1, 2017 19:09
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LogisticEarth posted:Multi-position ladders, like the Little Giant or whatever, are horrendous in my opinion. I'd rather have the 2-3 ladders it replaces in fiberglass than a heavy rear end clunky ladder that doesn't really do any position well. Personal preference of course, but I've never actually met someone in person who really liked them. We had one at my old job and everyone universally loathed the thing. Maybe they've gotten better? The nice thing about the multiposition ladders is you only need one ladder. Sure, it's heavier and clunkier, but it's less to buy/store. That can be important for homeowners that don't need to use ladders very often. If ladder work is a routine part of your day job, then they make less sense.
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Oct 1, 2017 19:34
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H110Hawk posted:Electric. They aren't as bad as they sound. Battery vs corded is entirely based on the actual size and placement of outlets. If you can reach your whole yard with 2-3 outlet changes I would go corded. I would not buy another corded electric flat out. I was elated when mine died because it made lawn work more of a hassle than it needed to be. Cord management sucks
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Oct 1, 2017 19:50
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If you have a small and simple enough yard, a reel mower is an attractive option. Fiskars makes a good one.
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Oct 1, 2017 19:56
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We have about 3 acres of lawn. Besides leaves, we also have several pine trees and poorly maintained pear and apple trees, making fall cleaning a bitch. While i did install mixing mulching blades on my mower deck this year, given everything else, this year we bought a lawn vacuum that tows behind the lawn tractor. Also purchased a separate hose and attachment for hand held use which worked beautifully but messy with the apples. Cleanup after that was a bitch, but didn't seem as long or backbreaking as my previous disposal method of raking and scooping into a wheelbarrow. Using as it's primary purpose, i was pleasantly surprised that it sucks up most pine needles and cones as well as leaves. And of course grass clippings which given my current frequency of mowing (once a week) can pile up and not decompose very fast no matter how many times i try to re mulch them.
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Oct 1, 2017 20:37
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[quote="“TooMuchAbstraction”" post="“476948713”"] The nice thing about the multiposition ladders is you only need one ladder. Sure, it’s heavier and clunkier, but it’s less to buy/store. That can be important for homeowners that don’t need to use ladders very often. If ladder work is a routine part of your day job, then they make less sense. [/quote] Yeah, I don't have a problem moving it around, but storing a full-sized ladder would be an enormous pain in the rear end in my house. Being able to use it on stairs has been quite handy a few times.
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Oct 1, 2017 20:39
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I have a Little Giant (Costco has the best deal) and a reel mower (Scotts 20"). But I also have a smaller house and yard so.
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Oct 1, 2017 21:14
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I love my Ego mower; your mileage may vary 
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Oct 1, 2017 21:46
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Anya posted:Lawnmower talk - small lawn, front and back (back is fenced, has a deck, large kids play toy, and a small sidewalk — front is flat with mild slope at edge to street- about 3-4' high, one small tree). Good grass quality from walking all over it barefoot. Gas, electric? I haven't mown a lawn since 2002, and that was a 10 acre riding mower deal. This is an ideal lawn for corded electric, then it makes sense to also get a corded weed trimmer. Battery would be fine too but they're way too expensive imo Andy Dufresne posted:I would not buy another corded electric flat out. I was elated when mine died because it made lawn work more of a hassle than it needed to be. Cord management sucks Cord management difficulty entirely depends on your yard. If your yard has a million things to manuever the cord around then yeah it's going to suck. If it's a lawn with like 1 tree on it then it's super easy
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Oct 1, 2017 22:22
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Axiem posted:I love my Ego mower; your mileage may vary I too have an Ego mower that I enjoy, that said it depends on your yard. I have only .33 acres and can do everything one one charge of the 7.5 AH battery. I could see it getting real old real fast if I had to get a second battery or stop to charge the first one if my yard were bigger. I also seldom use the self propelled feature which i am sure saves me juice. But yeah loving the thing for my needs, I also have the power-head string trimmer and will soon get the edger.
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Oct 2, 2017 00:40
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It's a pretty small yard, back would be the issue due to a really large toy, previous owner said it was about 20-30 min job for him. I'm not exactly sure where the electric outlets are, but I don't think there are any in the front, so battery or gas would be the option. I also like the idea of a reel, but don't know much about blade maintenance other than don't leave them wet, works on grass of a certain height best.
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Oct 2, 2017 01:11
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I want to replace a lovely old aluminum sliding door with a nicer one, ideally wood interior/fiberglass exterior. Have any of you guys done that, and how much does such a door cost? I can't seem to find that info without submitting my email and phone number for a quote (aka the company will harass me for months).
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Oct 2, 2017 02:12
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Hydronium posted:I want to replace a lovely old aluminum sliding door with a nicer one, ideally wood interior/fiberglass exterior. Have any of you guys done that, and how much does such a door cost? I can't seem to find that info without submitting my email and phone number for a quote (aka the company will harass me for months). It's probably the same process of replacing a swing door, so I'll chime in. Basically, pull off the trim pieces surrounding the top sides and bottom, and measure the rough opening, which is the distance between studs. From there you can search Menards and other big box stores for a replacement door. Then, basically remove the door and the frame, and insert the new one, attach the frame, spritz some non existing foam into the dead space, and reinstall the outer trim. Very broad strokes, but an easily doable task. You may even be able to reuse the track and just get replacement doors, I don't know.
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Oct 2, 2017 03:00
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I skipped a bunch of posts. How worried are people about Smart Meters in this thread?
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Oct 2, 2017 05:11
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Worried? What's the concern?
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Oct 2, 2017 06:20
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Leperflesh posted:Worried? What's the concern? I've recently gotten a bit more aware of EMFs from cell phones, wi-fi, and other things in our lives. I've started cleaning up my bedroom of electronics and stuff and that's really helped my sleep, but I found out my energy company wants to eventually upgrade people to Smart Meters.. which send usage info about electricity continuously, generate EMFs, mess with sensitive peoples' sleep.. I heard a character in Better Call Saul has some sort of EMF sensitivity. But I don't watch it - it's just most peoples' reactions when I go all 
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Oct 2, 2017 06:22
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Oh. Okay well, there is no scientific evidence that the relatively tiny amounts of EMF anyone would ever be exposed to in their home has any affect on the brain, but even if you prefer to go with the popular on that, there's no reason to think a smart meter would do anything to you that wasn't already being done by, say, the far more powerful radio frequency emissions you are already being bombarded with from your local radio stations, nearby cell phone towers, wifi networks in the surrounding houses, or.. well, you know, the earth, the sun, the galaxy, etc. But yeah to answer your question, nobody in the thread is worried about adverse health effects from their smart meter. https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/nonsense-about-the-health-effects-of-electromagnetic-radiation/ http://www.who.int/peh-emf/about/WhatisEMF/en/index1.html Leperflesh fucked around with this message at 06:40 on Oct 2, 2017 |
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Oct 2, 2017 06:34
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Leperflesh posted:Oh. IIRC there is scientific evidence that sleeping with your phone nearby (say on a night stand next to your head) makes your sleep worse. But a wifi router down the hall or a smart meter outside isn't something to be concerned about
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Oct 2, 2017 07:01
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Frown Town posted:I've recently gotten a bit more aware of EMFs from cell phones, wi-fi, and other things in our lives. I've started cleaning up my bedroom of electronics and stuff and that's really helped my sleep... Frown Town posted:my energy company wants to eventually upgrade people to Smart Meters.. which send usage info about electricity continuously, generate EMFs, mess with sensitive peoples' sleep.. QuarkJets posted:IIRC there is scientific evidence that sleeping with your phone nearby (say on a night stand next to your head) makes your sleep worse. But a wifi router down the hall or a smart meter outside isn't something to be concerned about Care to back this one up? "IIRC there is scientific evidence that X" is a horrendously problematic sentence and the fact that we're okay uttering a sentence like that is why there's so much misinformation in the world. A quick search only reveals studies around people sleeping worse because they're checking their phone constantly and screwing with their circadian rhythm. Sorry to argue about science in a non-science thread, but we might as well be talking about the fluoride in public water.
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Oct 2, 2017 13:48
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If anyone wants to go into this rabbit hole of crazy, the upscale white Chicago suburb of Naperville has some amazingly nutter residents, and here's their website: http://www.napervillesmartmeterawareness.org
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Oct 2, 2017 13:56
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Thanks for the recommendations. For mowers, the lawn is basically a fairly small fenced-in square so I'm leaning toward a decent reel mower, which I think could do the job in 30 minutes. Plus, storage space for outdoor tools, at least at the start, is kind of an issue so having something as small as possible would be nice.
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Oct 2, 2017 15:12
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I worry my smart meter will fail prematurely. I worry the gas company and water utility will never switch to them.
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Oct 2, 2017 15:29
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Can a radiant barrier in an attic make a significant difference in cooling costs if the HVAC ducting runs through a crawlspace below the house?
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Oct 2, 2017 16:17
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Wanted to ask the question because I know it's pretty I have seen some science to suggest various forms of radiation MIGHT be interacting with our cells through voltage gated calcium channels. I haven't looked up smart meters specifically. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/major-cell-phone-radiation-study-reignites-cancer-questions/ And I recently attended a meetup regarding these InPower folks: https://inpowermovement.com/ I mean, they are the most tinfoil of all, but it's impressive what changes they've gotten by being super persistent. I had to bail from the meeting because the topic turned to vaccines and I became filled with a feeling of dread/had to run away. I at least bought a device that'll let me see EMF readings; turns out the desktop vaporizer I used to keep on my nightstand was outputting ~15 milligauss even when off and plugged in, which could've been contributing to my months long sleeping issues. The Cintiq that I use at work puts off like 1100 milligauss, which is... concerning, given that my hand is directly on it for several hours a day. But whatever, it's probably fine, right?
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Oct 2, 2017 17:00
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